In communication equipment, including public address systems, radio transmitters and transceivers, such as the highly popular citizen's band (CB) radios, the conventional voice transducer apparatus has been a handheld or stand mounted microphone. These types of transducers have presented several inconveniences and problems, including the necessity of holding the microphone or maintaining a fixed position while speaking into a stand mounted microphone. With mobile transceivers, such as vehicle mounted CB radios, the necessity for grasping the microphone and activating a push-to-talk switch has required the operator to remove one hand from the steering wheel of his vehicle, thus posing a potential safety problem in compromising the operator's ability to control his vehicle while speaking into the microphone. In emergency situations in which both immediate communications through the radio and also skillful maneuvering of the vehicle may be required simultaneously, this conventional microphone arrangement has been particularly disadvantageous.
One approach to alleviating the difficulties and disadvantages of the conventional stand mounted or handheld microphone has been through the use of electronic communication headsets, which typically incorporate a microphone and receiver which require an amplifier or other appropriate electronic impedance-matching circuits for interface with the communications equipment, or at least electrically conductive wires to similar electronic circuitry located in the equipment. These devices have been substantially miniaturized in recent years, one such device being described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,556 entitled "Miniature Headset-Microphone Adapted for Use with a Mask", issued May 18, 1965 to the inventor hereof. Another example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,492 which relates to miniaturized headsets. However, even as miniaturization has improved user comfort by reducing weight, initial cost is high. Owing to the relative fragility of their component parts, ruggedized construction is required, which also adds to the cost, and replacement or repair of these headsets is frequent and expensive. Stability and comfort have remained factors for improvement, as size and configuration of conventional headsets are determined by the dimensions of integrally mounted electronic components. In addition, the electrically conductive wires create a hazard to the user in that those wires can conduct high voltage transients, often present in and around communication systems, to the user's head.
It has been known to provide voice tubes attached to electrical sound transmitters to permit acoustic transmitting, and receiving, from electrical equipment nearby. Examples of such equipment are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,541,121 and 1,615,974, but these devices are not head-mounted acoustical systems for detachable coupling to electronic communication equipment for regular use in replacing the microphone structure of miniaturized headsets. Suitable head-mounted structure which removes the electronic components from the headset is disclosed in my co-pending applications, listed above. However, that disclosed structure integrates both voice transmitting and receiving capabilities into a single unit, a combination which is not always required and which may be undesirable where voice transmission only is required. Such transmission-only requirement frequently arises in association with equipment such as the above-mentioned radio transceivers having speaker outputs for reception, public address equipment, tape recorders, and dictation equipment. As noted above, the conventional apparatus for voice transmission only to electronic communication equipment has comprised only a handheld structure such as a microphone or speaking tube, a mask mounted microphone, or a boom mounted microphone affixed to a structure adjacent the user. Each of these types of equipment has suffered from one or more of the disadvantages of requiring hand grasping during use, the placing of electronic apparatus and cables immediately adjacent the user's head and the manipulation and exposure of fragile and expensive electronic apparatus during use. These disadvantages have been particularly acute with mobile communication equipment such as vehicle mounted CB radios in which control of the vehicle may require use of both of the operator's hands and in which the environment may subject a conventional microphone to abuse and damage.